Nomasterbacks - At Your Door

The 411

With a name derived from a favorite childhood game (Chase Master), Nomasterbacks has remained true to their music and personalities - never taking either too seriously.

The trio, Kapono Kanoho, aka well.(being), Tyler Pau aka Temper T, and Wade Inn decided on the creative group name back in 1999. For those not familiar with the game Chase Master, “no master backs” is the fun local slang that’s said when you tag someone so they can’t tag you right back.

“We didn’t want to be too serious with our name, like Thugs of Honolulu or something like that,” says Inn. We try to keep it light and keep it fun, and that’s sort of been the mark of our group for the past 10 years. We’re serious with what we do, but we don’t try to be what we’re not. We’re all fun guys and we portray that when we do our shows.”

The history of Nomasterbacks begins in the locker room of Kamehameha Schools. Kanoho remembers hearing Pau rapping a song in the locker room and he finished his line.

“And he was like, ‘eh you know that song?’ Because it was weird to know someone else who knew the other kind of music that I listen to because it wasn’t on the radio or anything like that,” says Pau, who currently resides in Washington.

From there, they met Inn and they, along with a whole bunch of other guys, performed at every talent show and every Brown Bags performance.

The three 1997 Kamehameha School graduates have graduated from the karaoke cassette tapes and are releasing their fifth CD, At Your Door, this month. Although it marks album No. 5 for the group, it’s actually the first CD with a professional label and distribution.

To celebrate the grand achievement, the guys will be performing at a CD release concert Saturday, July 14, at rRed Elephant. They have another gig scheduled next week, Thursday, July 12, at Next Door.

Q’n A

Kapono: A song by Norah Jones. That’s probably the last song that I’ve listened to besides our stuff that I’ve been listening to over and over again to critique.

Tyler: I think it was something off the new Beastie Boys CD, I can’t think of what song. But I just got their new CD and was listening to that.

What sport would you say you’re best at?

Tyler: I have an OK jump shot, so I would have to say basketball. But I might get called out on that.

Kapono: I suck at sports.

The only sport I was remotely good at was bowling and even that was disastrous.

Wade: The best sport I’m good at better than anyone else on the NMB (Nomasterbacks) team is, hands-down, football. I think they would agree with me. I played football in high school and in college.

What song can always put you in a good mood?

Kapono: I would have to say 93 ‘Til Infinity by Souls of Mischief.

Wade: Probably any Earth Movers song.

Tyler: Warrior from Matisyahu.

Kapono Kanoho aka well.(being), Tyler Pau aka Temper T and Wade Inn

What’s the best musical invention?

Wade: The microphone.

Tyler: That’s a tough one. I’ll say the boom box then.

Kapono: Piano.

How many CDs do you own? Kapono: I have about 2,500. It’s everywhere. And then I have like 13,000 sounds on my iPod.

Tyler: I have too many, I don’t even know. But in the hundreds. Maybe over my lifetime I’ve owned a thousand, but I’ve loaned them out or lost them or forget who has them.

Wade: About 300.

What’s your most prized possession?

Kapono: I would have to say my CDs. My wife keeps trying to get me to sell them, get rid of them, but I refuse.

Tyler: My iPod - I kind of take that everywhere.

Wade: My Apple laptop.

What music artist would you never be caught listening to?

Kapono: I listen to everything. No matter how crappy or how much people hate it, there’s always something in there worth listening to or appreciating. But I probably wouldn’t listen to it in public, but I’ll listen to anything.

Tyler: Paris Hilton.

Wade: I love a lot of different artists, but I would definitely not support Ja Rule. I think he just has a very yucky voice.